Sheriff left out of decision process

Taylor: No funds to staff building

The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday was expecting a budget approval for 14 new employees to help staff the new judicial building.

It wasn’t until the end of a lengthy county commissioner meeting that it was learned that request was denied, for now anyway.

The county approved a $165 million budget Wednesday. Part of that came with a last minute amendment from Chairman Terry Hart to move more than $1.2 million from a fund designated for opening the judicial building, to reserves.

Hart said he wanted that moved in fear of releasing those funds before an opening date has been firmed up. At the center of that discussion is the financial uncertainty of opening the building on a debt-heavy budget.

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That money included hiring 14 new employees — nine civilians, five deputies — to help staff the judicial building

For Sheriff Kirk Taylor, the news was frustrating.

“I’m perplexed,” said Taylor, who did not attend the meeting. “I want to make sure people understand that we’ve been planning for this before they broke ground on the building.”

Taylor said his first staffing plan, presented in 2009, asked for 32 new employees. Over numerous meetings the last few years, including this year with the new board of commissioners, that number was cut to 23 and then 14.

Taylor said when the new judicial building opens deputies currently on that detail will transfer, as well as employees in the jail’s intake facility — where suspects are booked in — since that function will move to the new building.

Taylor has proposed cutting the work release program to meet the staffing need and he was under the impression that had been spared. Cutting work release still is a possibility and it’s likely DARE officers will be reassigned to the courthouse.

“I will staff that judicial building because I have to by law,” Taylor said, adding the staffing plan is based off national models.

Taylor also took issue with a resolution passed Wednesday that seeks to trim the county’s workforce by 47 positions next year.

Taylor said he supports a lean workforce, but he doesn’t support the resolution because it’s based off a recent budget finance survey of the state’s 10 largest counties.

The survey showed an average of 4.4 full-time employees per 1,000 citizens. Pueblo County’s workforce is 6.53 employees per 1,000 citizens.

Taylor has long told commissioners the survey is flawed based on his review of law enforcement data.

“If their basis is we don’t have any money, then show me and I’m on board. And they haven’t done that. They based it on a faulty survey. But if you’re talking about affecting the lives of county employees, it better be on something that’s on solid foundation,” Taylor said.

The resolution asks department heads and elected officials to come up with individual written plans to find those staffing cuts next year.

Taylor took issue with having to cut staff while he’s trying to add.

“It’s like if you have a football team. You need 11 players to field a football team and I have to field a team,” Taylor said. “I don’t mean to beat up the commissioners. I really don’t. I understand they have a hard job but at the same time, I just don’t get it. I’m cautiously optimistic that within the next week or two we can hash out the issues we have and to get to work for 2014.”